DOWLING, H.T.

Tube Railway Rolling Stock; Report upon Investigations into London's Underground Tube Rolling Stock With Reference to Weight Reduction. Together with observations on the respective uses and advantages of Steel and Aluminium

London: 1931. Tall quarto. 34cm. Screw-bound heavy bottle green boards. 154pp. Mimeo'd typewritten pages, with 50pp mounted photographs and charts, some with manuscript additions or notes. Light rubbing to extremities of the album, clean and solid; internally clean and bright, with some occasional fluctuations in repro quality as would be expected, ownership to title page, some rippling of the page edges due in the most part to the pages that have illustrative photographs and diagrams applied to them. A very good, sturdy piece of work.

Coinciding with the general overhaul of the London Underground network, the replacement of the rather arcane older maps with the rather revolutionary Underground map by Harry Beck, and the re-organization of the administrational structure to switch over to the London Passenger Transport Board (LPTB), although the full switchover from disparate corporations to one official controlling body did not take place until 1933. Obviously the 'unification' of the tube system required strenuous analysis of structural capabilities, uniformity of rolling stock, new designs, metallurgical and geological surveys etc. and this album, far more scientifically specialized than it might immediately appear contains a dense wealth of detail regarding the capabilities, benefits, and downsides of various rail designs, signalling systems, and most importantly rolling stock. It was additionally the beginning of Underground "branding" and the need for varied designs and formats of carriage and engine to match the desired design ethic. Numerous examples of 'competing' carriage designs, some of which will be immediately familiar to any Tube traveller, are featured, alongside technical data regarding their mechanical and technical benefits. A fascinating inside look at an iconic and legendary transport system that holds the title of the world's oldest metropolitan railway, and which provided the blueprint for numerous subsequent rapid transit systems.

Price: $650.00

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